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Who'd want to miss a sunset like this....?

Love seeing my son's reaction to nature and sunsets while fishing , he's only six but loves it already .

I don't think they don't appreciate it, I just don't think they realise it's there. That's not just the younger generation either. Those moments that us anglers take for granted, the sunrise and the awakening of nature that comes with it..... most people never see that. And they think we're the weirdos lol.

Absolutely @bluelabel. Most people think fishing is just about catching fish. It's not. Catching is obviously a big part of it, but what you're talking about is just as important imo. With a baby on the way my fishing time will be severely limited this next few years. I can handle not catching fish but I really do worry about how I'll cope without the sunrises and the mist crawling across the surface. It's what keeps me sane!

If there's one thing I never tire of... and I hope I never do.... it's that electric blue bolt of a Kingfisher rocketing across the water, be it still or flowing... I tried to point it out to my young protégé a few weeks back... he'd missed it as he didn't know what to look for.... afterwards he quipped that "it's like a David Attenborough commentary" some folks don't know what they are missing... there seems to be no love of the land anymore

There is also the lack of appreciation of the surroundings... I took a coaching commission a few months ago with a total novice and his shock at seeing a pheasant for the first time was surprising... so when I go out with him I point out flora and fauna... He's amazed that there is sooooo much that he'd never really bothered looking at.... the loss is entirely down to keeping their nose glued to a phone or a tablet or laptop and not looking at the world around them...

Personally I think you miss out on a massive amount of knowledge, skills, experience and more importantly enjoyment if you go straight into carping without progressing towards it in some way. I loved my time match and pleasure fishing, pike fishing etc Every species and situation meant learning and practising skills that in some cases I still use to this day.

Agree. I think growing up having fished for carp and carp alone can lead to a blinkered approach. Those that have fished for different species in a variety of waterways will be more adaptable. That said, you also see certain skills amplified. I've seen young guys on day ticket waters that have grown up using zigs as they couldn't afford bait as nippers. Their zig skills are something else. Honed to perfection.

It's got to help fishing from a young age, but saying that I know enough carpers that haven't & good ones at that & you also see old boys who have fished all there lives with shocking fish care & zero watercraft so it's more down to individual habbits & what lessons you've learnt be it over 5 years or 50 years . I remember my uncle taking me fishing as a kid & tieing hooks on with granny knots, he was still doing it some 10 years later until as as a teenager I showed him a few different knots. Think watercraft maybe the only thing that's hard to catch up on , as you spend so much time as a kid fishing that's got to be hard to replace , but even that over time comes .

Over the years I have fished many styles and codes... Hell I've been fishing since I was three and a half years old and I'm 60 now... But I see loads of anglers coming into the carp angling world without any idea of any other methods bar a lead clip or floater rig.... Do you think that bypassing the methods that catch other species detracts from their skillsets wether from a technical aspect or from a watercraft/angling knowledge viewpoint....?

I too have fished a long time and for all types of fish. I agree with Chill, I have met anglers that have recently took up carp fishing, who are better anglers than some who have fished sixty years and I met those opposite way round. What I have noticed is that the anglers who have done it all their lives, generally have a better understanding of nature and the countryside.

as soon as he/she is able take them out and share it with your nippers.... many congrats... I'm about to be a great uncle (again)

Well Yonny if you're going to be helping with baby say goodbye to sleep for a few years and you'll see quite a few sunrises ! . 😀

Then he'll grow up richer for it...👍

I have a little friend on my club lake... always comes to see me... nicks maggots out of my bait box if I have them, or micro pellets if I don't.. this is the sort of thing you miss with your nose stuck in a bit 'o tech

I personally don't think you can teach somebody Watercraft. It's all about the individuals perception and awareness of what's going on around them. Some people have it and some people don't.

I'm pretty sure I see a kingfisher nearly every time I go fishing, whether it's my local lakes in London or further out.

I must admit I think that an 'apprenticeship' in other species is useful before moving into carp. I fished (and fish for) for silver fish, chub, bream, tench, roach and pike as well as carp. As Kev says, some of what I learnt about feeding for other species is relevant to carp fishing, even if it helps me avoid other species! If you can feed effectively then you are likely to catch more. @Dannygooner, my local rivers have also been empty, although I think there are additional reasons, otters, EE's and the ability to get to them. The access for the spots I have been fishing is a mile away from the villages, yet the EE's have been there, least I think that from the beer cans that have been left... I absolutely love a lot of being outside, sunrises, sunsets, the kingfishers, which I often see, even though apparently there aren't many around according to Countryfile after they tried spotting them in the Lea Valley. Today was this, no more than an arms length away. I reached for my camera and he came closer.

Have a look in Sports Direct. Karrimor , do a good range and they do last.

Huge congrats!

I've just had a quick search on the net and the answer that keeps coming up is that the inserts are pressure fitted at the manufacturing stage, they can be refitted but normally it's is just a temporary fix, your better getting a new eye fitted. So in away we're both right, not bad for non experts 😂👍

I will find out 1 day this week.. I also thought you could...may try if i feel confident.

I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the reply I gave above😛😎😉

But you can't teach them how to react to it.

Some aspects of it you can... you can tell folk what to look for, where you can find it... telltale signs etc but the majority of it comes from experience

Or the ESP pre mades , depending on what hooks you prefer to use . By the time you've bought all the swivels and stops it works out cheaper to buy the pre mades , then just add the hook length of your choice .

Thanks Yonny , I love it when you save me money ! . 😀

Im havin a good search...i may warm/heat the insert up so it may be moveable into the eye ring...

I thought you could. But I'm also no expert lol.

I'm actually going fishing this weekend. I can't wait. Gonna be a big of stripey hunting too.

Carp tackle firms don't make shoes/boots. They just put their badge on stuff from China and sell them at 5 times what they're worth. If you want decent boots go to a firm that makes boots mate. Merrel or Salomon or someone like that.

Your not trying to pass it over the eye of the hook are you ? Most micro ring swivels will pass over a micro barb .

1st fish this winter, hopefully do it again soon. With a bulldog lure!

Nothing on the dead bait. Note sainsburys £1.80 for about 20 spratts, tackle shop £6 for 4spratts! My mate brought the bulldog lure, £12 produced 2 jacks one not much bigger than the lure itself & one about 5lb. No pics at the minute, as I had to hold the bigger one with the kids. Great fun, nice to be on the bank for a couple of hours

Realised last night that I'm off to France fishing on the day of brexit !!! Could be fun & games depending on what eventually gets sorted 🙈😁